Apparatus for cleaning jets of jet pumps



Nov. 8, 1955 c. w. DE PORTER 2,722,895

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING JETS OF JET PUMPS Filed July 21 1951 INVENTOR.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR CLEANING JETS 0F JET PUMPS Charles W. De Porter, near Dayton, Ohio Application July 21, 1951, Serial No. 238,415 3 Claims. (Cl. 103-204) This invention relates to apparatus for and method of removing foreign matter from the jet of a jet pump.

Jet pumps are used quite extensively for pumping water or oil from wells. One of the advantages of a jet pump is the elimination of a pumping rod, a cylinder and a piston, or the equivalent, located in or near the bottom of the well. In other words, in a jet pump there are no moving parts in the well-merely the pipes and the jet. By no moving partsf is meant parts that are driven in some manner from the top of the well. In the jet pumps there is the usual foot valve, which in reality is a check valve, that permits the water to be raised into the pipes and that prevents the water from draining into the well. In the event scales or rust from the pipes, pebbles in the water or dirt in the Water are lodged in the orifice of the jet, either the efiiciency of the pump is decreased or the pump becomes inoperative.

In the past, when this occurred it has been common practice to disconnect the jet pump from the pipes, raise the pipes from the well. If it is a deep well, this is a considerable job, requiring special equipment. Furthermore, there is a chance of damaging the pipes in so doing, especially if the pipes are old. After the pipes have been removed, the jet is then available for cleaning. After the jet has been cleaned, it is then necessary to connect the jet to the pipes, connect the several lengths of pipe as the pipes are lowered into the well and finally connect the pipes to the portion of the pump located above the well.

An object of this invention is to provide apparatus for and a method of cleaning the jet without raising the jet to the surface. This has been accomplished by reversing the flow of water in the pipes by means of air pressure, so as to remove the foreign matter clogging the jet and expel this foreign matter with the water through the pipe normally supplying water to the jet. It can readily be seen that due to the fact that the jet orifice tapers towards the mouth, foreign matter may readily be removed when the flow of water is reversed, in that the foreign matter may then be removed from a small diameter to a larger diameter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a connection from a source of compressed air to the pipe through which water is drawn from a well, so that when the compressed air is released, it will force the water in the pipe into which it is connected to flow in the reverse direction, namely, flow downwardly through the jet, to thereby remove foreign matter from the jet.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construc tion of parts, the combination thereof and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view of an attachment for cleaning a jet, showing parts in section.

Figure 2 shows a jet pump shown partly in section and mounted over a well.

Figure 3 discloses a view of the attachment used for removing foreign matter from the jet of a deep well jet pump.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates the conventional casing of a deep well. On top of the well there may be concrete slab 12 supporting a jet pump 14, which will not be described in detail, for the reason that the portion of the pump above the well forms no part of this invention. The jet pump is provided with an intake or suction pipe 16 and a pressure pipe 18, smaller in diameter, supplying water under pressure to a jet 20 located near the bottom of the well. Below the jet 20 is a foot valve 22 that functions as a check valve to hold the water in the pipes 16 and 18. The jet 20 includes a venturi 24. Water is supplied to this venturi under pressure from the pipe 18, which causes a stream of water at high velocity to draw water from the well upwardly through the pipe 16. This action is accomplished in part by means of an impeller 26 driven by an electric motor or from any other suitable source of power, so as to create a pressure on. the water in the pipe 18. The venturi cooperates with the suction of the impeller to draw the water from the well.

When the pipe becomes corroded or sealed, flakes of rust or scales may be drawn into the venturi portion of the jet, so as to clog the orifice, or dirt or foreign matter such as sand or gravel may accumulate in the orifice, so as to either reduce the efiiciency of the jet pump or make it entirely inoperative. As stated above, when this takes place, it has been common practice in the past to raise the pipes and the jet from the well, so as to make the jet available for cleaning at the surface. This may be a difficult job, especially if the well is deep, requiring special equipment which may not be available to the owner or operator of the well. Furthermore, it requires considerable labor and time to remove the jet from the well.

This problem of cleaning the jet has been solved by means of the apparatus and the method disclosed herein. The portion of the jet pump located above the well is disconnected from the pipes 16 and 18 by disconnecting the unions or coupling units 30 and 32. An adapter 34 is connected to the large suction pipe 16. This adapter 34 is connected through suitable connections including a flexible hose 36, a valve 38, a pressure gauge 40, to a tank of air 42 that is under pressure. For wells up to feet deep, a tank of compressed air about 18 inches in diameter and 26 inches long, containing compressed air under a pressure of pounds per square inch has produced good results. A larger tank holding more air may be desirable in some cases. An adapter 44 is connected to the pipe 18, the adapter terminating in an outwardly directed nozzle 46.

The pipes 16 and 18 are full of water. If, for some reason, the water in the pipes has been partially drained, the water should be replenished from an outside source, so as to fill these two pipes. By opening the valve 38, it can readily be seen that the compressed air from the tank 42 will exert pressure on the water column in the pipe 16. Due to the fact that this pipe is considerably larger than the pipe 18, the volume of water in the pipe 16 is greater than the volume of water in the pipe 18. By forcing the water in the reverse direction, that is, downwardly through the suction pipe 16 and upwardly through the pressure pipe 18, foreign matter located in the tapered venturi of the jet is dislodged and carried upwardly in the water in pipe 18, so as to be expelled through the nozzle 46 and thereby removed from the well.

An adapter," as used herein, designates any suitable means for connecting the suction pipe to the source of compressed air or for connecting the pressure pipe to a discharge orifice for discharging the water out of the pipes and the jet.

Although the portion of the pump above the well has been illustrated as being mounted directly above the well, this portion of the pump need not necessarily be located above the Well and it need not be located near the well. It may be located in some building remote from the well, as for example, in the basement of a dwelling or in some other suitable location. In this event, the portion of the'pump above the well may be disconnected and the adapter connected to the pipes at the place near the location of the pump or the adapter may be connected directly above the Well.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will'be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combinationthereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A device for dislodging and removing foreign matter from the jet of a deep well pump having a suction pipe and a pressure pipe, said device including a tank of compressed air, an adapter for connecting the tank of compressed air solely to the suction pipe of the jet pump, an adapter connected to the pressure pipe of the jet pump, said last mentioned adapter terminating in a nozzle so that as the air in the tank is released the water in the suction pipe is forced in the reverse direction through the jet so as to dislodge foreign matter therein, the foreign matter being removed through the pressure pipe and ejected through the nozzle.

2. A device for dislodging and removing foreign matter from the jet of a deep well pump having a suction pipe and a pressure pipe, said device including a source of compressed air and adapted for connecting the source of compressed air solely to the suction pipe of the jet pump, means connected to the pressure pipe of the jet pump, said last mentioned means including a nozzle so that as the air from the source of compressed air is released the water in the suction pipe is forced in the reverse direction through the jet so as to dislodge foreign matter therein, the foreign matter being removed through the pressure pipe and ejected through the nozzle.

3, A device according to claim 2 wherein the means connected to the pressure pipe includes an adapter terminating in the nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,030,456 Broadhurst June 25, 1912 1,758,376 Sawyer May 13, 1930 2,080,624 McMahon May 18, 1937 2,480,969 Rosa Sept. 6, 1949 

